Year 9 Celebrate European Day of Languages at the French Institute, Edinburgh

24 September 2026

27 pupils along with their Modern Language teachers departed for Edinburgh on the European Day of Languages 2026, with a walk through Princes Street Gardens before arriving at the French Institute for the afternoon’s activities.

Pupils made their way around a series of stations with their “language passports”, introducing them to Spanish, Polish, Czech and Romanian. Tutors led games, discussions and activities, which gave pupils the chance to pick up new words and phrases and learn more about the languages and cultures represented.

Several other schools also took part, giving Year 9 the chance to meet and work alongside other pupils throughout the afternoon. At the end of the activities, they discussed some of the new things they had learned from the experience.

Language learning has an important place at St Leonards. With 40 nationalities represented within our school community, and St Andrews itself home to people from around the world, our pupils are surrounded by different languages, cultures and perspectives.

This international outlook is also central to our approach as an IB World School. Learning another language is not simply about vocabulary and grammar, but about communicating with and understanding people from different backgrounds.

Having the French Institute within easy reach in Edinburgh gives our pupils another valuable way to explore languages outside the classroom. The European Day of Languages was a great chance for Year 9 to do exactly that, including trying languages they might not otherwise have encountered.